Club History & Honours

Early Days

The lacrosse section of Poynton Sports Club was formed in 1973, but the club itself was founded in 1889 as Offerton Lacrosse Club. By the mid to late 1800's, interest in the sport was growing, influenced mainly by a series of exhibition tours by Canadian teams who had travelled to Britain to organise exhibition matches. Later similar tours included Native American teams and such was the interest created that many lacrosse clubs were established in and around the Manchester area, several of which still exist today.

The first Club President was Thomas Kay, Esq., J.P. Despite initial enthusiasm, reports from Offerton's earliest games sounded less than encouraging as this extract from the Manchester Guardian on November 5th 1888 aptly demonstrates:

"Birch V. Offerton. Played at Birch. A very one-sided game ending in the home team's favour by sixteen goals to nil" "The newly-formed Offerton Club at Stockport is composed, with one or two exceptions, of players who have never handled a 'crosse before, and although the result of their first match was so disastrous, they must not be discouraged, but continue to practise, and for the present, at least, be content with sides games".

Despite a shaky start, support for the Club was obviously developing strongly, so much so that Offerton became a member of the North of England Lacrosse Association in 1890, and in 1893 was a founding member of the Cheshire County Lacrosse Association alongside the clubs of Stockport, Cheadle Hulme and Birkenhead. In 1895/96 the Offerton First Team won the North of England Division 3 title, followed by the Division 2 title for the 1898/99 season.

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The 1920's

By the turn of the Century the sport was thriving with around 100 lacrosse teams playing every week in Lancashire and Cheshire. Despite being unable to achieve outstanding success in the highest echelons of the sport, Offerton as a Club remained positive, indeed winning the North of England Division 2 title again in 1908/09. Looking forward to the 1908/09 season, the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Walter Heaword had said:

“ …If we do find ourselves unable to gain a respectable position in the first league I hope we shall still deserve the great compliment paid to us by one of the morning papers last season. The extract ran: -

“Offerton have been aptly termed the happy family of the lacrosse world. When fortune ceased to smile on them they were not downhearted, and even when they were losing most of their matches in the Second Division, their old players remained faithful, and with a cheery optimism waited for the turn of the tide”

The outbreak of the Great War in 1914 saw many members called to active duty on the front line. Indeed, the origin of the ‘Blackbirds’ name comes from this period, a ditty was sung in the trenches and remained popular with the men who returned home. Derek Collins recalls from conversations with Jack Wilkinson and Mac Clarke that the song went :

The King was in the counting house counting out his money,

The Queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey,

The maid was in the garden hanging out the washing,

WHEN DOWN CAME A BLOODY GREAT BLACKBIRD,

WHEN DOWN CAME A BLOODY GREAT BLACKBIRD,

WHEN DOWN CAME A BLOODY GREAT BLACKBIRD,

AND PECKED OFF HER NOSE!

All sung with appropriate gestures!.  Apparently, the second verse is just hummed with the same gestures but a little more exaggerated!- When they returned after the war they continued the song as a way of recalling their camaraderie and also in remembrance of those from the Club that lost their lives. As an aside, the Club has the minute book that closes on one page at the last meeting before the league was suspended for the war period. When the next page is turned, four years have passed and the club only has a handful of members left- quite a poignant example of the effect of the war on our own Club and no doubt many others throughout the country.

Throughout the 1920’s the Club was still very active, playing matches it would seem at various locations in the borough. Correspondence from 1920 shows that the Club Ground at this time was The Rectory Fields (behind National Schools) on Churchgate, Stockport (quite a walk from Offerton!). By 1926 though, the Club had a new ground at Offerton Fold. Team colours (which seem to have stayed constant throughout the history of the club) were Navy Blue shirts with White centre band and white shorts.

The highlight of the decade was to be in the 1928/29 season when Offerton beat Old Waconians to win the North of England Junior Flags competition (please see the gallery for pictures and a cutting from the Stockport Advertiser).

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The 1930's

The 1930’s brought more home ground changes for the Club with some matches being played at Stockport Cricket Club at Cale Green (Stockport Lacrosse Club’s ground). Later in the decade the club’s headquarters would be at the Blossoms Hotel, on Buxton Road, with a ground at Bean Leach Lane, Offerton. Interestingly, the 1937 Club yearbook notes that the changing rooms were to be at the Royal Oak Hotel on Commercial Road, Hazel Grove, an easy walk for a quick pint or two after a home match!

Club Secretary, Howard Smith notes in his feature ‘From Flying Fists To Drake’s Ducklings’ that the 1933-34 season almost saw the end of the club after an incident during a match between Offerton and Old Hulmeians which saw the Club suspended for the remainder of the season and all results expunged from the records, with no right of appeal. The Club carried on though, and with typical resolve went on to win both the 2nd Division Championship and the Junior Flags Competition the following year.

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The 1940's and 1950's

After the War, the Club continued to develop, though still had no permanent base, playing home games at Woodlands Paddock, Offerton. Club headquarters however was still the Blossoms Hotel as it had been since the 1930’s. For the 1950-51 season, Offerton’s First Team played in the North Of England Lacrosse Association’s 2nd Division, meeting up with now long disbanded clubs such as Urmston, South Manchester and Wythenshawe, Chorlton and Leeds, (though many current clubs also appear in the early 1950’s fixture lists including Old Waconians, Mellor, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Mersey Guild). The 1950-51 season membership book notes that current Poynton Club member George Mathews was ‘A’ Team captain, whilst the First Team captain was Harry Westhead, an Offerton Club member for many years.

Indeed the 1950-51 season was to be a memorable one. In the Club’s Diamond Jubilee year, the First Team won the 2nd Division Championship, whilst the ‘A’ Team won the 4th Division title. The First Team also had further successes, winning both the Junior Flags Competition and the Stockport Cup.

By 1953, the Club had moved grounds again, this time to the Stockport Sunday School Athletic Association Ground, on Nangreave Road, Stockport. The long-standing attraction of the Blossoms Hotel as a headquarters had seemingly waned, and club meetings now took place at Stockport Cricket Club. The First Team played in the 1st Division, whilst the ‘A’ Team contested the 4th Division honours.

The 1954 season saw the establishment of a Junior section spearheaded by Geoff Griffiths and Trevor Brierley. Also involved in the Junior Development Committee were Bill Brooks and club stalwarts Harry Westhead and Jack Wilkinson. Though early successes were few and far between, enthusiasm abounded and by the start of the 1955 season Offerton Juniors numbered some thirty-three members, enough for two full sides of Under 15’s, and requiring a separate Junior headquarters at The Hut at St. Saviours Church on Great Moor.

The development of the Junior section immediately paid dividends, with keen youngsters competing for senior squad places as soon as they were of age, and 1956 saw Offerton’s ‘B’ team take the 4th Division title, whilst the First team again won the Junior Flags competition in 1959.

Throughout the period Offerton players were present in Cheshire county sides, with four players on the team that took on a Washington & Lee University overseas touring side in 1956. On that occasion Offerton’s C. Ward captained the Cheshire team whilst Cub Vice President Jack Wilkinson also served as the President of the Cheshire County Lacrosse Association (whilst still turning out regularly for the Offerton First Team!).

Overall, the 1950’s was period of growth for the Club which had by now been established almost 70 years. The now familiar Blackbird appeared in the logo for the first time at the start of the 1955 season, and the Club became one of the first to produce a regular newsletter (the aptly titled “Offerton Blackbird”) at the same time.

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